One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 23, 2022

Andrew V. McLaglen's "One More Train to Rob" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You are some train robber! Ain't you going to shoot somebody?

I had to see Andrew V. McLaglen’s One More Train to Rob twice to decide whether I liked it. During my initial viewing of it I felt that its humor was a bit off. It was not because I thought that the writing could have been a lot better, or that the chemistry between its stars wasn’t right; rather, some of the transitions from the funny to the action and back to the funny seemed too quick, a bit forced as well. But I could not identify the exact reason for the presence of this ‘flaw’, so I wanted to see the film one more time.

I am quite certain I know what the problem is now. I realize that this ‘flaw’ I am about to identify isn’t one that everyone will see as I did, but nevertheless I am going to mention it because I feel that plenty of people will approach One More Trail to Rob with the same or similar expectations I had.

The fun begins with a very well-planned train robbery. Harker Fleet (George Peppard), Timothy Xavier Nolan (John Vernon), Katy (Diana Muldaur), and a couple of other colorful characters manage to steal a large load of money from a passenger train heading West. Fleet is the leader of the robbers and gives all orders, Nolan and Katy are on the train pretending to be ordinary passengers. The stolen money never leaves the train – Fleet and his associates simply move them from the cargo area to Nolan and Katy’s suitcases while pretending to be searching for other valuables. When Fleet and his associates disappear into the shadows of the night, everyone assumes that they have the money with them.

The entire group is supposed to meet again later and divide the money from the suitcases, but Fleet gets arrested and sent to jail. He spends the next couple of years thinking about what went wrong, while Nolan marries Katy and becomes a prominent businessman in a small town in Arizona. When Fleet eventually gets out, he immediately tracks down Nolan and comes knocking on his door determined to get what belongs to him, plus all the interest that his share has generated. Nolan welcomes Fleet with open arms and assures him that his money has doubled and he has even invested some of the profits, but the only thing that is on his mind is how to permanently get rid of him. And, voila. It just so happens that there is a perfect opportunity to do precisely that – a risky job involving some Chinese immigrants and a large load of gold.

As you can tell, One More Train to Rob really does have a good story that could be used to deliver an equal number of fireworks and laughs, but the formula that blends them has to be right. I think that Dick Nelson and Don Tait delivered the right screenplay for that kind of a funny western, but once production began McLaglen chose not to follow it closely. (How do I know that the screenplay was right? Because of the nature of the twists that begin to emerge as soon as the robbers hit the train. They are good. Really good). Or, my other guess is that for some unknown reasons Robert Simpson did not do a very good job in the editing room.

As it is, One More Train to Rob does not disappoint, but it is primarily because of the fine performances of its stars. They have good chemistry and work well as a team. However, viewing One More Train to Rob feels a lot like going through a series of uneven scenes, rather than observing the ongoing adventure of a bunch of colorful robbers.

One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented it its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, One More Train to Rob arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. This master is very similar to the one Australian label Via Vision Entertainment used for their recent release of House of Cards, which is decent at best. The main issue is that it reveals some very light traces of digital enhancements, which is why wider panoramic shots tend to look a bit flat, occasionally even a tad smeary. Close-ups are usually fine, but even there it is easy to see that fine nuances are not as nicely exposed as they should be. Color balance is good, though this is another area where some meaningful improvements can be made. Image stability is very good. There are no distracting debris, cuts, stains, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. On my system the audio sounded very clear, sharp, and clean. There are no stability issues either. There is quite a bit of action footage throughout the film and most of it has very nice dynamic intensity. However, you should keep in mind that the film's soundtrack was prepared in the early 1970s, so there are some small but obvious native limitations on it.

One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for One More Train to Rob. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

One More Train to Rob Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The stars do what they are supposed to do to make One More Train to Rob exciting. However, I found the manner in which the film is edited quite unconvincing because it prevents it from developing a proper identity. (For what it's worth, I think that some viewers may rightfully disagree and conclude that there is a different flaw that has the same effect, but after viewing the film twice I think that it is the editing that does the most damage). So, considering the great cast that was assembled, in my opinion the end product should have been a lot more impressive. Code Red's release is sourced from an older and a bit rough master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Consider picking it up if you find it heavily discounted.